I'm so glad I stumbled upon this hidden gem!
This is a medieval fantasy book with a lot of political intrigue and little to no magic, which felt like a breeze of fresh air. It has a girl knight undercover and a sapphic romance, wonderful worldbuilding and scenery, epic and well-described battles, complex problems, amazing characters and so much more.
I thoroughly enjoyed everything and absolutely flew through this book. I loved the writing style, the book was so addictive and beautiful to read. I loved all the characters, they were complex and interesting, it was so fun learning about their past little by little. I loved the romance, you could feel the tension between them, see it in their interactions and thoughts. All the scenery was breathtaking, different castles described in just enough detail to differentiate between them easily. We were told about cultural differences, political systems, history, lore in this fantasy land, but not in too info-dumpy way. One thing that surprised me the most was the author's great attention to detail at all times. The other thing was that in this book they don't use just your typical YA swords, but other medieval weapons as well! I never knew how much I wished to see other weapons in a fantasy book, to see beloved characters wield an axe or a polehammer or poleaxe against some big brute with a warhammer, instead of just swordfighting!
I only have 3 complaints which are in essence actually the same thing - I needed more! The first thing is about the changing between 3 POVs. It was nice and well done, but every time we started following other character, we didn't get to see what the other characters were doing in the meantime, which felt a bit jarring as I wanted to see and experience what everyone was going through at any given moment. Instead of that we saw where the other character was only when the POV changed again and we were briefly told what has happened with them in the mean time. The second complaint is that the story itself could be longer, told in greater detail, contained more scenes. The last thing is that the ending was a bit too abrupt, unsatisfactorily concluded, which felt rushed.
Needless to say, I can't wait to read the sequel!

I've rounded my review up to a 4 star even though I think it's more of a 3.5.

Traitors of the Black Crown follows a Knight, a Duchess and a Queen who have all been negatively effected by Candor, the Kingdom that Queen Zarana rules. All three have problems with how the kingdom has been ruled and what it to come of it. The question is, will they survive and does the Queen and her son, the Prince, deserve all the hate that is being thrown toward them?

I have enjoyed reading this book and following the revenge story of Sir Rowen whose family was taken from him at a young age. He now vows to kill the Queen, who is responsible for their deaths. We find out right away that Rowen is actually Reana, a woman disguised as a knight, holding her secret very close, terrified of being discovered. This was my favourite perspective throughout the book, discovering her past, the reasons behind her vengeance, and how events might influence her decisions.

It was also interesting to follow Aven, a Duchess to the east and her story. She is loyal to the queen but hates the prince who is to succeed her. Aven's Duchy and her people are everything to her and she will do anything to protect them. We see how the decisions of the crown effect the furthest reaches of the kingdom and how they suffer because of the queens/princes selfishness.

We also follow the Queen. Though my least favourite perspective, it is interesting to see the motives of the antagonist and why she has done everything she has done. We see how her suffering has bought her to her decisions and how, in turn, she has caused others to suffer under her reign.

A very interesting story that keeps you gripped throughout. The Sapphic romance became a bit lacking towards the end if the story and I would have liked to have seen what becomes of the couple, but it might come back around in book 2. The plot was also a little lacking in the first half but perhaps that was due to world building and the author giving us insight into what the world is and who is in it. I feel that the ending happened maybe a bit to quickly, like it was a little rushed.
Even with these flaws though, I was gripped right to the end of the book and I'd be happy to read book 2, especially to see if the plot improves throughout the series.

A good fantasy adventure novel needs a strong foundation, and this one simply didn't have it. From the character motivations to the worldbuilding, this one gave me very little to invest in, and it seems like another example of a book that has a strong aesthetic goal but no real story or vision behind it.

Thank You to NetGalley and the publisher who provided me with this ARC copy in exchange foe an honest review.

Raena is a young woman who has escaped the wrath of the Queen and is forced to live under the alias of Sir Rowan. While she plans her revenge, she meets Aven, a young Duchess, who shares her ambitions. As they join hands to take their revenge, they discover more about themselves and each other.

What initially drew me to the story was the plot, it was intriguing and I loved the queer representation in a high fantasy novel. For a debut novel, the storyline was interesting, and the characters were likable, and I'm sure the author will improve a lot more with time.

It's fairly easy to get attached to the main character and it's enjoyable to follow her in her journey. Similarly, I was captivated with the beautifully written love interest; she was powerful and intriguing.

Admittedly, I had a hard time getting through the first few chapters of the book; I found that certain were dragged out a bit longer than they should have and the excessive narration made it hard to stay focused at times. The second half of the book is evidently more enjoyable as it picks up in pace and there's a lot more plot points for the reader to enjoy.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed the romance in this novel. I am a huge fan of slow burn romances and Raean and Aven definitely tugged on my heart strings. :)

An aspect of the book that I didn’t particularly enjoy was the use of more “modern” slang within the world (“nah”, etc.) It threw me off a bit and felt strange at times, since the world seemed ancient in other aspects.

All in all, it was a fun read. :)

i got about 25% into this book and it was just too convoluted and confusing for me to continue. as someone who is a character-driven reader and usually doesn't care for too much plot, this took no plot just vibes to another level. i didn't really care about any of the characters or relationships, which is what i need to continue in a book, and since that wasn't present, i just couldn't find the motivation to continue or finish.

Three women will betray the black crown. A Knight. A Duchess. A Queen.

This was a fine book, but not a great one for me. The premise was wonderful: Raena Schinen has disguised herself as Sir Rowan, a knight. She spent fifteen years preparing and hiding with the sole purpose of exacting vengeance on the queen. Raena's intentions are thrown off when she is sent to Duchess Aven Colby's household.
This book's world-building was noticeably weak. While I could picture some of the towns and landscapes described clearly in my head, most of the cities and countryside were a muddle in my thoughts. From the main characters to the secondary characters, all of the characters were wonderfully written. They were all fantastic. Even the characters I didn't care for were well-developed. It's simple to despise the villain. The main characters Raena and Aven were amazing. The relationship was well-executed.
I couldn't become engaged in any of the personal connections or feel emotionally attached to them since the characters were bland. I was anticipating a fast-paced adventure, but this is more of a slow-paced romance with a few sensual and steamy scenes, some action sequences, and a lot of travel. The sluggish pace and storyline that isn't really a plot are my primary criticisms of this book. In the first half of the book, not much occurs, and even though the second half has more action, I didn't feel particularly attached to the characters, so I didn't care what happened to them.
The women in this novel are all strong leaders, and Aven is no exception. She is concerned about her people and strives to do what is best for them, despite the difficulties of being a lowborn lady in an aristocratic and patriarchal culture. She adores the queen and is devoted to her, but she is prepared to put her connection with the throne on the line for the sake of her people. Her moral strength and drive impressed me much. Raena is a nice character as well, although she does not impress me as much as the Duchess. I like her ability to switch between masculine and feminine gender roles depending on the occasion and who she is with. It was also nice to read a book about knights that didn't have too much machismo in it.: some of them sobbed and didn't feel bad about it.
The premise is simple, yet it has the potential to be intriguing. It combines politics, combat, and a sweet romance. In this book, there are a few distinct points of view. Some chapters are given from Raena's point of view, while others are written from Aven's point of view, and yet others are told from the queen of the prince's point of view. The world-building and history are well-presented and fascinating.
Overall I was expecting more from Traitors of the Black Crown.
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A woman disguised as a man, stealing the heart of a duchess? Consider me intrigued from the second I read this blurb, and when I read the book I was not disappointed. I loved the world building in this and how detail and history don’t overtake the writing and plot. I also loved the use of multiple POVs and how each of the characters interacted each other to build the overall plot. The ending has left me with so many questions that I need answers to, so I will be waiting impatiently for the next book in the series. I do hope some side characters are further fleshed out in the following books.

I wish I could give this a very detailed review but it wasn’t giving what needed to be gave for that. I could write long reviews for books I love and books I hate, this was neither. This book was meh. Okay. I didn’t care much for the plot or the characters but still somewhat interesting.

Traitors of the Black Crown is the first novel in the Black Crown series and follows three characters, Raena, Aven, and Zarena. After losing her family, Raena Schinen disguises herself as a boy and adopts a new identity as Sir Rowan, a knight of Hawk’s Keep. Together with her best friend and fellow knight, Sir Finley, they are on their way to participate in the Knight’s Trials of Candeo in Candor, one of the lands within Calamyta. Prince Zander, son of the late King Lyam and Queen Zarana, hosts the Trials in Candor. Each land, Candor, East Twin, West Twin, East Shore, and Ediva, all host their own Trials. The story starts right in the action of the trials where forty knights are competing. Unlike other years, this year’s Trials will use real weapons, which automatically creates additional tension in the writing. When Finn and Raena end up on the Prince’s bad side during the trial, the two friends are sent on separate missions. Finn will remain with the Prince’s guard and Raena is sent to serve House Colby.

The main plot is Raena and Finn starting with a mission to take revenge on the queen, but becomes more complex after Raena and Finn are separated with Raena being sent away from the palace. There is a lot of political intrigue in this story with many dangers at every turn. As Raena is disguising her identity as Rowan, there is added tension; although I wish there was more for this part of the story. Although situations do occur where there are obstacles regarding her disguise, I expected it to be a larger source of tension than it was presented. I enjoy how this element comes into play when Raena and Aven interact with their growing attraction to the other. Their developing romance was sweet and I enjoyed reading about the two of them getting to know each other. Their romance skews a little towards the insta-love side, but there is a nice connection between them that I did not mind it as much as I usually would.

There are three points-of-view in this novel, Raena, Aven, and Zarena. With Raena and Aven spending a lot of time together, the events are similar, but just given from two different sets of eyes. When they did not interact, however, I enjoyed Aven’s side of the story as it added some new insight. I loved Finn at the beginning of the story and wish he was present more throughout, although he could be a larger presence in future novels in some capacity. His interactions with Raena were one of my favorite elements of the novel, so I wish there were more. With Zarena’s story, her character grew on me a lot and I found myself more invested as I kept reading. I also enjoyed Zarena’s part of the story as it gave some understanding into Zander’s character. For me, I understood that he was the villain, but I wanted to get more into his head and figure out his motivations and thought process. There is still a lot of potential with the characters as more secrets are revealed, new secrets are created, and plots alter based on circumstances.

Overall, the novel starts very strong with the Knight’s Trial and then slows down a bit thought the middle before picking up again towards the end. It is a roller coaster of pacing, which is on par for most series and definitely increases anticipation for the sequel. The novel does end with the reader having a lot of questions as the story sets itself up to lead into the future sequel. All in all, this novel provides an excellent opening to the series and I am curious to continue and read the second novel, Defenders of the Black Crown.

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Hansen House, for the opportunity to read this enjoyable novel. The opinions expressed are completely my own.**

Rowan and Finn came to participate in a knight tournament, but it turned out to be a bloody scene for the prince's amusement. Rowan finished first but the prince wasn't happy with how he won, so he exiled him. Rowan finds himself in a beautiful place where everyone is a part of a big inviting family. He falls for the duchess and she for him, but she doesn't know yet that Rowan is a woman posing as a knight to protect her own life. There is a constant threat from the neighboring wild tribes, that turn into a terrible war with an unknown enemy.

I enjoyed the characters and the writing, it was good for a debut novel!
I felt it was a bit kitschy and cringey at times. It felt highly inspired by game of thrones.

Spoilers ahead:
I was waiting for a big conflict between Rowan and Aven and it just resolved way too easily.
I feel that the queen's illness wasn't explained well, it looked like she had amnesia at one point (although the guard might be messing with her) but she was fine by the end of the book. It just wasn't represented well

Note to publisher - the ebook wasn't formatted well, where sometimes there were breaks between paragraphs and in other times there weren't

Traitors of the Black Crown is a beautifully written adult epic fantasy with a strong and steamy romance subplot that reminded me of a sapphic Game of Thrones. Intrigue, romance, power struggles, and fascinating worldbuilding made this book so satisfying and an absolute pleasure to read. If you love getting sucked into another world, this one is for you! I can't wait for book 2!

I struggled to get into this book at first but I did really enjoy the main character. The relationship in this book unsettled me a little as the love interest became sexually involved with the main character without knowing her true gender or identity. When this became known to the love interest I enjoyed the relationship a lot more.

The love interest was very interesting and was a very powerful character in the plot. She quickly became the best character in the book. I did struggle with the middle of the book but it really picked up towards the end. I did enjoy the book a decent amount however I can't say I would pick up the second book.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Haspen House for making that happen.

I really wanted to like this book. The story sounded so interesting from the synopsis and I love medieval fantasy books. However, this one felt really flat for me. I struggled to get into the story and the pacing felt really slow in places and then all over the place in others. I couldn't identify with Raena at all. There were a lot of side characters that I couldn't keep track of and didn't know if they were important or not.

Overall, I wasn't as engaged as I wanted to be and I'm really bummed out about that. Wish it could have been a stronger story.

This book was an okay read, but not a great read for me. I really loved the premise of it.

This book was so slow at times that I put it down for days (if not weeks!) before I felt the want to finish it. A lot of the details and conversations didn’t only feel pointless, but they also were a little annoying. With this being said, there were several parts that I was excited to read and couldn’t put the book down for.

3.50 Stars. I had fun with this one. I believe it is a debut novel, and as the first novel in a high fantasy series, it is a tall task for any newer author. I think Cate Pearce handled it pretty well. For now, it feels like the more magical elements are a little muted, with the exception of the race of beings called the Boens. They seem to have enhanced physical abilities, like night-site and strength. Other than that, it is more about the fall of one of the stronger countries due to the monarchy's cruel and inept rule.

I do have to point out that there are a lot of parallels between this novel and A Song of Ice and Fire with regards to archetypes. The Boens are very reminiscent of the White Walkers to a point. They are a horde that people in the other kingdoms don't want to mess with, but most believe the Boens' abilities to be a myth. Zander just screams Geoffry, almost to the point of his temper tantrums and terrible need to prove his masculinity. Queen Zarana feels like a Cersei, but older, and with the weight of her cruelty draining her. Even MC Reana Schinen feels a lot like Brienne of Tarth in that she is almost noble to a fault, and tries her best to follow the code of chivalry of in this world. Now that doesn't mean that this rips off Song, but it feels pretty influenced by it. This is a very queer interpretation of a typical high fantasy setting, and it isn't quite as hung up on being dark and gritty, which I am fine with.

I loved almost all the characters, and found them mostly interesting, but I didn't like the choice to have Queen Zarana have a narrative role, mostly because it feels like her parts are just there to pass the time, while Reana and Duchess Avenna do more interesting things off screen. Her narration shows up mostly near the ending of the book, which makes the last half of the book less enjoyable for me. But I loved the relationship between Reana and Avenna and I hope we get to see how their dynamic changes once the big reveal is actually revealed.

I liked this book for the most part, and enjoyed that it got gritty on occasion but didn't revel in it. I also thing Avenna and Reana are good leads, and hope we can see them carry more of the story in the second book. Solid debut by this author.

*I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review

I really really struggled with this book. I found it far too dense, very predictable and disappointing. I thought the concept and characters were going to be awesome but sadly it lacked originality which quickly lost my interest.

Good characters, good story, good writing. I liked it. I'm excited with the story.
The representation of the queer community. Love it. But the book for me was not easy to read.
Coming soon review on my blog.

Unfortunately, this wasn't for me. I really enjoyed the premise, and was very excited at the idea of the queer love story to unfold, but the writing felt a little flat to me. I will certainly continue to keep an eye on the author and their work, because I think their ideas are brilliant, and I'm sure the craft will improve with each new story, but this one just needed a bit more for me. I liked the way we are thrown straight into the action, and I like the politics, but the characters needed something extra to become more believable in their actions and motivations. I'm sure many people will enjoy this, and I'll certainly recommend it if I think someone is after this kind of book.

Overall, I really loved this book. With that being said, I almost DNF’d this not even halfway through. The beginning is soooooo slow that it was almost unbearable. I picked this book to read for the strong female characters and the LGBTQ representation, and it gave me everything I wanted on those levels. The storyline/plot was almost as weak as the characters and world building were strong.